The Courage to Question

Chieko Yamamoto challenged norms in her culture, finding new ways to contribute.

Growing up in Japan, Chieko Yamamoto experienced traditional Japanese schooling: strict discipline, rote memorization and lots of academic pressure. When she was nine, her family moved to the United States, where her father worked as a vendor for the new Honda plant in Ohio. Chieko found American schooling very different: curiosity and exploring ideas she found interesting were encouraged.

When her family returned to Japan five years later, Chieko brought back more than just memories. She now had a changed perspective of what was possible, both personally and intellectually. After earning her degree in Japan, Chieko pursued manufacturing work like her father. She applied at Molex in Japan, long before it was acquired by Koch. Molex encouraged her to consider a position in sales, which had a higher concentration of female employees. Instead, Chieko pressed for a manufacturing position that better aligned with her skills and passion; it was where she believed she could make the biggest difference.

Although Chieko succeeded in getting that role, the bureaucratic culture that came with it was very unappealing — especially the unreasonable gender-based expectations. It was assumed she would not only memorize the favorite tea of each of her male colleagues but also make it for them. Moreover, the rigid pay guidelines favored seniority over skills. The pressure to conform left no room for exploring individual aptitudes or seeking roles that might promote personal development and increased contributions.

“Many of our employees grew up in Asia, where the culture for companies is often very top-down,” acknowledged Joe Nelligan, CEO of Molex. “Traditionally, employees were expected to wait for direction rather than thinking for themselves.” As Chieko recalled, that environment was especially hard “because the idea of questioning a male leader wasn’t culturally accepted. But it helped me develop skills that I still use today, such as having the courage to speak up.”

After becoming a mother, Chieko took a break from Molex to focus on her two children. She did, however, continue to pursue part-time work, including opportunities to further hone her translations skills. After two years away, Chieko was ready to return to full-time work in 2005. Molex was eager for her to return.

When Chieko returned to Molex, she was surprised and pleased to see it was starting to change for the better. Roles were less rigid and there were new opportunities for employees to speak up. “In the past, those who challenged leaders in any way were let go,” she admitted. She also found less emphasis on tenure and gender. In fact, in 2008, Chieko became the first woman to serve on the consumer and commercial solutions (CCS) leadership team. The CCS division president wanted to transform the team’s approach and hoped Chieko could bring new ideas. “He told me not to be afraid,” Chieko recalled. Given that she was a woman in her 30s whose peers were men in their 50s, that was a tall order.

Chieko’s contributions brought much-needed change. For example, she challenged Molex’s rules-based approach to customer service, which involved answering every customer question with a customized response. This had created an enormous backlog. “We were told we could hire as many people as needed to answer all the customer questions coming in,” but Chieko felt it made more sense to create a web-based solution. It allowed someone in the E.U or the U.S to get an immediate and accurate answer — a better outcome for both the customer and Molex.

The acquisition of Molex in 2013 introduced Chieko to Koch’s principle-based approach, which seeks to help employees realize their potential and live a life of meaning. “I remember how inspired I felt learning about PBM,” Chieko recalls. She took lots of notes, but instead of receiving encouragement, her peers urged her to keep her thoughts to herself. “They said, ‘Don’t interact, don’t interfere,’” recalled Chieko. She ignored that advice and began peppering the head of Koch’s PBM capability with questions.

Because of her enthusiasm and potential to contribute, Chieko was offered a role in the PBM capability. “When I was deciding whether or not to join that team,” said Chieko, “my husband was very nervous. As a former Molex employee, he didn’t believe things could change that much.” Although Chieko was valued in her leadership role, she believed she could make an even greater contribution as a PBM coach. “I wanted to move into this role because I think transformation starts with yourself,” Chieko recalled. “And I wanted to help others experience what I was experiencing.”

After accepting the role in 2014, she began supporting the entire CCS division — the same team where she had previously been a leader. Although her coworkers were supportive, “most people viewed my new role as a demotion.” After all, she was leaving leadership to be an individual contributor, which normally meant a decrease in pay. To Chieko’s surprise, her salary did not change. In keeping with PBM, she was told that her total compensation would be based on her contribution, not her position.

Chieko worked with the division’s leaders to help them understand how they could use principles instead of rules to improve results. She helped supervisors better understand Koch’s principles and provided guidance and suggestions for applying them. At the same time, she improved her own ability to gather feedback and learned to improve results by identifying and closing gaps.

Chieko also spent time helping operations leaders address challenges at their manufacturing sites. She facilitated sessions using the five dimensions to uncover the issues causing poor performance. When opportunities to improve were identified, Chieko worked side-by-side with the division’s new president, J.H. Lee, and his team as they made necessary changes. These included identifying and removing leaders who were unwilling or unable to lead using our principle-based approach.

In 2022, Chieko was asked to relocate to the U.S and begin supporting all of Molex. Having seen Molex’s transformation, her once-skeptical husband was excited by this opportunity to support people all over the globe. “Molex is now much more attractive to the talent we need than we were 10 years ago,” she said.

Her colleagues confirm that Chieko is thriving in this role. “It hasn’t always been easy, but I love learning and finding ways to improve myself. I’m still transforming today,” shared Chieko. “And if I can help others understand how the power of these principles can enable them to realize their potential, that’s a dream come true.”